South Mountain Pack Ch. 06

Frank decided to have a talk with Carlo and Joe, he had a feeling even though the younger generation was trained as well as they could be, the motivation and purpose of 'why' had disappeared or become diluted over the years. This year marked the 50th Anniversary of the signing of the treaty which ended the Were War and the start of peace among the Packs, but South Mountain Pack had never let its guard down. After all they lost; they could not afford to be complacent and would never be. Frank continued to flip through the photo album, seeing Carlucci family members and even whole Pack families that had been killed and vowed to himself, Never Again.

Forty-five minutes later, Sophia was ready to go to Anthony's for dinner. The spaghetti strap dress had a sage green background with small swirls of different shades of beige; with it she wore a cardigan and ballet slippers of the same shade of sage green. Her jewelry consisted of platinum earrings and Swarovski bracelets in varying shades of green and beige.

The short drive to the Rossi's was pleasant, as Gianni and Marcus made her laugh with stories of Anthony from when they were younger. Anthony was waiting for them to pull up, he opened Sophia's door and scented her deeply after helping her out. "You look beautiful Arachide, I missed you today," said Anthony as he took her hand. "You look nice too, and I missed you also," said Sophia as she looked at Anthony; he was dressed in a pair of khaki's and a blue polo shirt that made his shoulders look even broader then normal.

He greeted her brothers with fist pumps and asked how their day had gone. Gianni said, "Interesting, you are not going to believe who Maria's intended mate is."

"Somebody made a declaration for Maria? Who?" said Anthony.

"Nope, you have to wait, and why are you calling my sister 'Peanut'?" said Marcus.

"Because when I think of her, I think of the Peanut Butter cookies she made just for me. They were sweet just like her and they made me happy, just like she does," said Anthony smiling at Sophia as she giggled and blushed happily. "Let's go inside, we have appetizers ready and you can fill us in on Maria, I can't wait to hear this."

Anthony and his mom got the appetizers out of the warming oven and placed them on the breakfast bar. There was Italian bread cut into bite-size pieces accompanied by a variety of dips including creamy asparagus, artichoke with sun-dried tomatoes, basil cream cheese with prosciutto, and then mini meatballs with marinara. There were also tomatoes filled with mozzarella and topped with crab meat. The boys dug into the food like they were starving, while Sophia fixed herself a small plate.

The chicken had already been pounded, seasoned and placed in the refrigerator to marinate earlier, so Anthony pulled it out getting ready to bread it and he put some oil in the pan on high to heat it. He checked the large stockpot and saw the water was ready to be put on a boil for the Angel Hair pasta when the time came. The gravy was simmering away on the back burner and he was glad his mom had helped him with that earlier. He then turned to the Carlucci's and said, "Okay, I've waited long enough, tell me about Maria and her intended mate."

"Somebody made a declaration for Maria? When? I hadn't heard anything yet," said Alpha Carlo with a grin.

"Well, sir it only happened a couple of hours ago," said Gianni with a grin. "Go ahead, and take a couple of guesses as to who you think it could be."

The next several minutes were spent with the Rossi's throwing names out, trying to guess Maria's intended. Gianni looked at the stove and shouted, "FIRE."

Anthony had forgotten to turn the heat down, and flames were shooting out over the top of the frying pan. Anthony grabbed a towel and tried hitting the flames which only succeeded in setting the towel on fire, which he then threw in the sink igniting the curtains. His father grabbed the lid and tried to throw it on the pan, knocking some of the oil onto the counter and spreading the flames. Madame Gina calmly went over to the fire extinguisher and proceeded to put out the fires. She looked at Sophia and grinned as she turned the exhaust fan on high.

"Okay, it looks like dinner will be delayed a little while Anthony and his dad clean up. Tell me who is Maria's intended, it's killing me not to know," said Madame Gina calmly as if nothing untoward had happened.

"Alberto," said Sophia while grinning back at Madame Gina.

"Alberto?????? Carmelo and Rita's son, Alberto? Really? I would never have guessed him," said Madame Gina laughing. "Oh my, they are complete opposites in personality and looks, but I think they would be good together."

"What was your Uncle Joe's reaction to all of this? I can't imagine he took it well," said Alpha Carlo as he finished scrubbing down the wall to get the foam and oil off. Anthony had already cleaned the pan and was breading the chicken, embarrassed he had set his mother's kitchen on fire.

"He told Alberto, 'If you hurt her, I will kill you and they will never find your body' and nobody doubts he is serious," said Marcus and everyone started laughing.

Anthony and his father started heating the oil again slowly this time, Carlo reassuring his son not to let the small incident bother him and Anthony felt better and got some of his confidence back. They fried the cutlets up, covered them with gravy and mozzarella then Anthony went to put them in the oven, mistakenly putting them in the broiler and turning it on. They rejoined the group at the breakfast bar and when Anthony saw he had 10 minutes left on the timer, he turned the boiling water on high and put the pasta in.

Sophia, Gianni and Marcus told the story from the time they walked into Carmelo's pizza parlor right up until Sophia screamed. Everyone laughing at what happened and Anthony was distracted by scenting Sophia and listening to her talk when he noticed the pot boiling over; he hurried over, turned the gas off, and drained the pasta. It came out in one large congealed lump; he had forgotten to stir it. As he looked to his mother for help, smoke started slowly coming out from the sides of the oven. His mom calmly went over turned off the broiler and the gravy on the stove, got a fan out of the hall closet, opened the back door and sat back down at the breakfast bar.

"Okay, we'll give it about ten minutes to clear out some of the smoke, then we'll put the appetizers away and head on out and get some Chinese food," she said with a smile on her face.

Anthony stood dejectedly by the sink; he couldn't believe what a mess he made of his first dinner for Sophia. Madame Gina noticed him standing there, and looked at Sophia and motioned with her head towards him. Sophia got the hint and walked over to him, and whispered, "The appetizers were really good, and we had Italian for lunch at Carmelo's, so Chinese food sounds good to me. Anthony, look at me, I don't really care what we eat, as long as we are together."

"Really, you don't mind going out for dinner? I'm sorry I made such a mess of things; it came out perfect when I practiced this week. I can't seem to concentrate on anything when you are close to me; all I want to do is hold you and scent you. Dad says it will get better with time and I won't feel this overwhelming need to have you planted against my side, but I hope it never goes away," Anthony whispered into her ear. Sophia looked deeply into Anthony's eyes then tilted her head so he could scent her neck. He growled low in his throat and scented her deeply, both of his hands buried in her hair, as Sophia pressed as close to him as she could.

Carlo looked at Gianni and Marcus and said in a quiet tone, "It's going to be a long three years for them. We need to increase the physical training for Anthony to help get some of the suppressed tension out, if not he's going to go insane." Both boys nodded their heads in agreement.

Madame Gina opened the broiler and got the blackened chicken out and put it down the disposal. Everyone started carrying the plates and the little bit of food that was left to the sink. Anthony turned with the dish of marinara sauce and ran right into Sophia, dumping the contents down the front of her dress and cardigan.

Everybody stopped what they were doing and stood there not saying a word. "Damn it," hollered Anthony, "I'm so sorry Sophia, I can't do anything right."

Sophia looked at him and then burst out laughing, "Well, I won't ever forget this night. Gianni can you please go to the truck and bring in my 'go bag' for me and I'll be ready in just a few minutes. Alpha Carlo could you please let my Daddy know about the change in plans." Madame Gina brought Sophia into the spare bedroom to help her change and they looked at each other giggling quietly.

"Not a word, not one word," said Anthony as he looked at Gianni, Marcus and his Dad. The four men stood there staring at one another for several moments, before Gianni started laughing, followed shortly by the other three men.

"At least you didn't give her food poisoning," said Marcus laughing hysterically.

Carlo used the bond to contact Frank,"We had a change in plans, after the oil fire, burning the chicken to a crisp, congealing the pasta and Anthony dumping food down the front of Sophia's dress we have decided to take your children for Chinese food. Sophia wanted me to let you know of the change in plans; she is changing her clothes right now."

Frank replied laughing,"Sounds like a night to remember. Have fun at dinner and tell the kids to come straight home after. I'd like to talk to you soon about the Full Moon Ceremony, but we'll do that tomorrow."

Sophia and Madame Gina came back into the kitchen, Sophia had changed into jeans and a pale mauve twinset, Anthony thought she looked adorable.

Alpha Carlo said, "Sophia, I spoke with your father, he said to have a good time at dinner, but to go straight home after." Sophia smiled at him and said, "Thank you Alpha Carlo."

They took two vehicles, the kids in one and the Alpha's in the other and met at the local Chinese restaurant that was also owned by a Pack member. The Chang's had moved and joined the pack twenty years previously when their oldest son was accepted to the U of MD on a full engineering scholarship. They had come out to visit their son and met his new friends from South Mountain Pack who extended an invite to join them for a Pack Dinner. They were impressed with the friendliness from all the Pack members they met, loved the mountainous region and decided to join the Pack and never regretted it for one moment.

When they entered the restaurant it was crowded due to it being a Saturday night, but a table was quickly made available for the Rossi party. Mr. and Mrs. Chang came over and congratulated Anthony and Sophia on their declaration which they both thanked them for. They ordered their food and proceeded to have a nice dinner and to Anthony's relief nothing bad happened.

After dinner when they were getting ready to leave, both sets of chaperones waited in the vehicles for Anthony and Sophia to say goodbye. They could still be seen, but they had the illusion of being alone. Anthony was scenting Sophia deeply as he again apologized for the dinner fiasco and she just giggled. They were content not to say anything; just being close to each other was enough for them. Gianni rapped on the window and pointed at his watch, causing Sophia to say, "I have to go Anthony, will I see you tomorrow?"

"I have to work in the morning and we have training in the afternoon. I'm not sure what time it's going to end since it's a special training session. Then we have the meeting at your Uncle Joe's about Alberto's declaration. Will you be there?" asked Anthony, as he slowly released her from his grip. Sophia said yes, she would be at the meeting for the women. He opened the door and helped her into the truck and said goodnight to her brothers.

"Next time Sophia comes for dinner, we'll make lasagna beforehand, this way dinner will be prepared before she comes over, okay Anthony?" said his mother.

"I'm sorry about making a mess out of the kitchen and catching the curtains on fire, when we practiced earlier in the week, it went perfectly," said Anthony.

"Things happen son, the first time I made dinner for your mother; she ended up with food poisoning. Cheer up, you may have ruined your intendeds clothes, but at least you didn't almost kill her," said Carlo as everyone started laughing.

When Sophia and the boys reached their house, Frank and Rose were waiting in the kitchen to hear the details of how the dinner date went. All three children gave them a play by play of what happened and everybody was laughing. After they were finished telling the story, they went downstairs to play video games and Sophia kicked both boys' asses.

Frank and Rose went back into his study, and resumed the position they had been in before hearing Marcus's truck pull up. Frank reclined against the arm of the sofa, his left leg on the couch and his right foot on the floor with Rose's back against his chest. She quietly read one of her erotic romance novels to him, the ones Sophia didn't have access to. His arms encircled her waist as he scented her neck and hair, thanking Luna for bringing this woman into his life. "Mark that page, after we make sure the boys get home safe, we'll go out in the woods and try that. Make sure to bring your hat," whispered Frank as Rose giggled like a schoolgirl.

The next day was a quiet one, both Carlucci families had gathered at Frank's house after grocery shopping to have a cookout before the boys training session. Sophia and Maria sat quietly off to the side and talked about their intended mates; the boys played football and horsed around in the pool splashing their sisters until the girls finally joined them. The adults quietly sat in the shade, listening to Frank as he voiced his thoughts about the upcoming meeting with Carlo regarding the Were War and having a ceremony to honor those the Pack had lost. Everyone agreed it was a good idea.

"Each family could come forward and recite the names of their family members that were lost. For the whole families killed, Carlo could read their names," said Annie.

"We could also light a candle on the Altar for each name read, this way the children will realize just how many members we lost. Seeing is more memorable than just hearing," added Rose.

"Carlo could give a history of the Were War and Frank and I can give security updates the Pack has instituted to ensure it would never happen to us again, from the training, security updates of each home and business, to preparing 'Go bags' and safe houses. The idea is not to cause anxiety but to reassure them of the safety of the Pack," said Joe.

Frank and Joe looked at their children and the thought of them being in danger put their wolves on alert immediately, they started pacing back and forth and growled loudly, their fur standing on end. Their wives put their hands on their arms to calm them down, but the danger scent hung in the air. The Clan stopped playing in the pool immediately, glancing around the yard scenting the air finding nothing but the scent put out by their fathers. Nevertheless all the children exited the pool with a single command from Vincent. Dominic carried Sophia and Lorenzo carried Maria as they ran to their fathers.

Frank and Joe stood up growling as their children approached, scenting the fear and concern radiating off them. The boys were in a defensive barrier around Dominic and Lorenzo who carried their sisters, Sal and Victor out front, while Gianni, Enzo and Gino were on the left flank, Damian, Paulo and Michael on the right flank and Marcus and Vincent bringing up the rear.

"What is it Dad, we didn't scent or notice anything," said Vincent, as the rest of the boys continued to surround Sophia and Maria.

"I'm sorry everyone, Uncle Joe and I were angry about something and our wolves perceived it as a threat to the family. We weren't even aware we had put the danger scent in the air," said Frank as he looked at his family and apologized.

"I want to apologize too," said Joe then turned to Frank. "I'm not quite sure why our wolves got so agitated, but I know mine went from contentment to danger in seconds, as close as our two wolves are connected, they may have fed off of each others anger." Frank looked at him and nodded in agreement.

"It may also have to do with our daughters finding their mates and them being overly protective because of it or perhaps the incident at Carmelo's," added Frank. "Our wolves may have still been on edge and responded to our agitation even more quickly then normal, though what we were thinking of shouldn't have made our wolves respond as they did."

"Regardless of the reason, we apologize again for upsetting everyone, though I am proud of how quickly everyone responded to the danger scent," said Joe as he looked at each of the children. "Vincent, what command did you give to get everyone out of the pool so quickly?"

"PROTEGGERE," replied Vincent. "We didn't notice anything other then the danger scent from the two of you, but it was strong. Was there anything we did wrong or could have done better?" Everyone looked at Frank and Joe for an assessment on how they reacted.

"Everything was done exactly as you were taught," said Frank with a note of pride in his voice. "Reaction time was excellent; the defensive barrier around the girls was scanning the surrounding area, not just focused on what was in front of you. Do any of you have any questions or concerns?"

The Clan looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders, then Damian spoke up, "When are we going to eat, I'm starved." Everyone started laughing and they sat down and ate, everyone laughing and talking at once, though the men were careful not to let the women know the true reason behind the special training session.

Three hours later, all the boys aged 6 to 21 along with their fathers, were assembled in the training hall. Joe led the boys in their warm-ups then broke them down into groups according to skill levels. Frank and Carlo stood quietly to the side and talked about Frank's idea for the Ceremony and Carlo agreed readily. Training proceeded as normal for the next two hours: learning offensive and defensive moves and countermoves.

Frank told everyone to take a 15 minute break and then sparring would commence. The boys cheered as this was their favorite part of training, as they could step up and test their skills against each other in individual challenges. The Clan, Anthony and Alberto noticed Scott huddled with his two buddies, Joel and Jeff and knew Scott would call out Anthony, which was even better as far as they were concerned. This way it would look like Scott was against Anthony's declaration of Sophia and had a personal vendetta against him.

Anthony said to his father, Frank, Joe and the boys through the bond,"I think Scott will challenge me tonight. He is over there with Joel and Jeff whispering and he keeps looking at me. I can't wait to kick his ass."

Carlo replied,"Let him make the challenge and ask why he is challenging you. Even if you have to make him angry, try and get him to admit that his staring at Sophia is against acceptable behavior."

Frank went and brought the chalkboard in and told the boys to write down their list of sparring challenges and Joe would pick five matches. The boys aged 16 and younger sat down since they knew only the more experienced older boys would be fighting. All of the Clan, Anthony, Alberto and Angelo stood to the side, shoulder to shoulder with their arms crossed not talking just staring at everyone.

In the end, only five matches were on the board: Dean Benedetto against Vincent, Joel Mendez against Gianni, Jeff Martin against Lorenzo, Ethan Reeder against Dominic and Scott against Anthony. When all the names were posted, the training room was silent and then talking broke out excitedly.